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City lights versus starry skies

When you live in a big city like Los Angeles, you know about  noise, air and water pollution. But light can be a pollutant as well – its glow far…

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By Saul Gonzalez • Dec 7, 2012 • 1 min read

When you live in a big city like Los Angeles, you know about noise, air and water pollution. But light can be a pollutant as well – its glow far outshining the light from the Milky Way above. In the battle between city lights and starry skies, the city lights win. As part of this international struggle, the county of Los Angeles is about to reintroduce regulations aimed at preserving the darkness of the night sky in the county’s rural areas, where you can still see gaze upward and see the stars shine.

If you want more information about the struggle to protect the night sky from light pollution, check out this link to the International Dark Sky Association.

Here’s a look at what the stars see when they look down on the city lights, courtesy of NASA. And for those with Spotify, how about a little musical interlude about the struggle for a little more dark.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Saul Gonzalez

    Reporter

    Arts & Culture StoriesLos AngelesArts